Wrench.



No. 756,407. PATENTED. APR. 5,1904. A. H. RANKIN & cflummst WRENCH.

APPLICATION rum) APR. 25. 1903.

eAifugcys K0 IODEL.

UNTTnb STATES Patented. April 5, 1904.

PATENT -TF1cE.

WRENCH."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,407, dated. April 5, 1904.

Application filed April 25, 190 3. $erial No. 154,826. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

' Be it known that we, AUSTIN H. RANKIN and CHARLES ABRAMS, citizens of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented In the drawings illustrative of the inven tion, in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the movable jaw. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig.v 1 of the movable jaw. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the movable or opposing jaw member detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the detachable serrated plate, and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the detachable spring. Fig. 7 represents a plan view of the cam member detached.

The improved device consists of a stock 10, having an integral stationary jaw 11 and handle member 12 of the usual form. The handle member is secured in place by a disk nut 13, as shown. The rear face of the stock portion is provided with transverse V- shaped spaced serrations 14, preferably convex or curving, as shown in Fig. 3. Slidably disposed upon the stock 10 is the opposing jaw member 15, the latter having V- shaped internal serrations corresponding to the serrations on the stock. The stock-aperture in the jaw member 15 is elongated, so that the jaw is movable trans versely of the stock to enable the serrations of the jaw to be disengaged from the serrations on the stock, so that the opposing jaw member may be detached from the stock when moved in one direction and connected therewith when moved in the opposite direction, as will be obvious. The serrations of the jaw member 15 are formed .upon a plate 16, in-

sertible in channels 17 therein, whereby the serrated plate may be renewed whenworn.

A spring 18 will be carried by the jaw member 15, with extended ends operating against the stock and exerting its force to yieldably maintain the serrations of the jaw member out of engagement with the serrations of the stock.

Mounted for rotation in a recess 19 in the jaw member 15 is a cam 21, having an operating-handle 22 extending therefrom. The cam has a straight or tangential portion 23, which serves as a stop to limit the outward movement of the handle 22 without causing the cam to pinch. against the stock 10. The cam 21 rests in the recess 19, and the ends thereof are supported by the shoulders form ed by the recess, while the handle extends through the slot 19'. By this arrangement it will be obvious that when the cam member is in its withdrawn position, as in Fig. 1, the jaw member 15 may be freely moved longitudinally of the stock, the only resistance being that exerted by the spring ends moving over the serrated surface 14 of the stock, and then when the jaw member has been moved to the required position a simple inward movement of the handle 22 will causethe cam -21to move the. jaw 15 transversely of the stock and cause the serrations of the plate 16 to engage the serrations 14 of the stock, and thus instantly lock the two parts firmly into engagement. The handle member 22 Will be curved, as shown, so that when closed, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, it will lie close to the lower side of the jaw 15 and not form an obstruction to the hand of the operator.

To prevent the handle member 22 from checking the full outward throw of the jaw member 15, a recess 27 will be formed in the grip-handle 12 to receive it, and to prevent the protruding upper end of the spring 18 from preventing the complete closing of the jaw member 15 a recess 24 will be formed in the jaw member 11 in the path of the spring and into which it will enter, as will be obvious. By this simple arrangement a very simply-constructed, strong, and easily-adjusted wrench is produced,which may be adapted to all the various purposes for which adjustable wrenches are employed and may be manufactured in all the usual sizes and of the usual materials.

The serrated plate 16 will. generally be of hardened steel and will preferably be formed with lateral lugs or shoulders 25, adapted to enter corresponding recesses 26, forming the terminals of the channels 17, to form stops to limit the downward movement of the plate and prevent displacement under the strong pressure to which such devices are frequently I subjected.

The spring 18 will be supported between the plate 16 and the adjacent wall of the jaw 15, and the frictional contact of the plate will be sufficient to hold it in place.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is 1. A wrench comprising a stock having transverse spaced serrations and witha stationary jaw member at one end and a griphandle at the other end, an opposing jaw member slidably disposed upon said stock, a plate having serrations corresponding to the serrations on said stock and detachably supported in said opposing jaw member, a spring supported between said plate and jaw member and having extended ends bent into engagement with said stock and operating to maintain the serrated plate carried by said oppos ing jaw member out of action, and means for moving said opposing jaw member transversely of said stock to cause said serrated plate to engage the serrations in'said stock, substantially as specified.

2. A wrench comprising a stock formed with transverse serrations in one side and having a stationary jaw member at one end with a recess adjacent to the serrated side of said stock, an opposing jaw member slidably disposed upon said stock and having internal serrations corresponding to said stock-serrations, a spring operatin'g'to yieldably main tain said opposing jaw member with its serrations out of engagement with the serrations on said stock and extending in advance of said opposing jaw and adapted to enter said recess when said opposing jaw is closed against said stationary jaw, and means for forcibly moving said opposing jaw member transversely of said stock, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

AUSTIN H. RANKIN. CHAS. ABRAMS. Witnesses:

THOMAS BRANDON, LAFE N. ABRAMs. 

